Wandering minstrel is the musical man in the van!
Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell
Drawn to earthy, low register sounds and instruments, Cormac Belgey is one of the most unique musicians on the contemporary trad scene – so it should be no surprise that his new album release and tour to promote it are equally innovative and inventive.
A collaborator for the likes of Ye Vagabonds, Lisa O’Neill and Martin Hayes, his habit of collecting and cherishing rare instruments ensures his contribution is always authentic. Cormac’s latest project, dubbed the first solo bass concertina album of any musical genre, is proof of that.
B will be available to pre-order from April 1, but it will be available to purchase at Cormac’s extensive list of upcoming gigs, all part of an Irish and European tour through the months of April and May.
Many of those dates, including Galway City on April 3 and Loughrea on April 4, will be taking place in hidden locations that will only be revealed on the day of the gig.
Friends will join at various intervals but, for the most part, this tour and album are testament to Cormac’s master craftsmanship and ability to carve rich soundscapes with one uncommon, beautiful instrument.
“It was a challenge,” he says of making the record.
“It’s my second solo album. I’ve been collecting instruments since I was twenty-two, buying and selling them online, and I’ve come across every kind of concertina. It was in Japan in 2011 that I came across the bass concertina and it’s a very special instrument.
“It’s very deep sounding and it’s a very rare instrument – I came back from Japan and ended up ordering a second one and, up until last year, there was only six of them in the world built by Colin and Rosalie Dipper. They’re the only contemporary makers of the instrument.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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